Process for treating eggs



mama July 19, 1927. a

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p This invention relates to the treatment of eg -whereby they are caused to have not on y longkeeping qualities, but also .a ap earance,

t is now quite common to process eggs byappIying hot oil of the proper kind to f 'the egg. It has been found that by properthe fact that the egg. acquires, dueto the process, a shiny appearance and a greas feel, occasioned by the retention on the she l exterior,-of a thin film or layer of oil. An- "other very serious disadvantage is that dust falling on the oil coating adheres very strongly to it, thereby imparting to it a dirty appearance; and of course bacteria can thus obvious danger. Especially is this the case where sticky substances, such as resins, gum, parafline, or wax are mixed with the oil preservative, even in minor quantities.

It is one of the objects of my invention to make it possible to produce a processed egg without the shine.

"It is another object of my invention to provide a novel preserving material, serving as a substitute for the oil heretofore used.

It is still another object of my invention to provide an inex ensive process for preserving eggs and or causing them to retain their natural external physical characteristics.

My invention possesses many other ad-' vantages, some of which with the foregoing will be set forth atlen h in the following 'descriptiomwhere I sh l outline in full several forms of the process embodying my invention. This detailed description, owever, is used only for explanatory purposes; and the scope of my invention can best be ascertained from the claims appended hereto. It will be evident from a perusal'of these claims that I am not limited tothe forms of the process described, nor to the materials Specified for use in the process. V

process can be applied to the eggs after t ey have been treated with an 011 Wh preservative; either immediately upon such treatment, or at the time the eggs are rethere is noopportunity for it to penetrate Application manna 11,1025. Serial Io. 14km.

moved from storage. It comprises applyin avolatile liquid to the shell, which liq-- -ui is also a solvent for oil.

Such a 'comound can be artificially produced, but I d it preferable to make use of material already available, such as certain hydrocarbon minerals. Onesuch mineral which is a product of 'oil refineries and canbe procured with facility, is troleum ether. Such material includes a highly "volatile hydrocarbon B5. constituent as well as ahydrocarbon acting as an oil solvent. It is not necessary to detail all the constituents of such a com.- pound, for a wide variation is ermissible, and it canbeused as it iscommon ly obtained in the process of oil refining, without regard to-exactness in proportions. When treating the eggs with this material, the shine is, very quickly removed; the oil dissolved qrillickly drains off, and the residue left on t 0 egg is very quickly-evaporated, leaving no residual odor. When so treated, a procbe lodged on" the egg; with the-attendant.

essed egg cannot be recognized among other eggs not processed.

The manner of ap lication of the oil re- 9 mover to the egg 5 ell is preferably'by sprayin the egg; but it is possible to pro duce su stantially the same results by dipping, or immersing the eggs, or by pouring the remover over them; or in fact byan manner of applying the remover to the shell. A very short time sufiices for the immersion to remove the shine, by actual observation it is found. that a few seconds, at ordinary room temperatures, are suflicient. When using the immersion process, it is preferable to use several successive short dippin s,- whereby little if any oil will be allowe to drain ck into the remover, but it is instead drained off outside of the liquid, and thereby its effectiveness is not reduced. This can also be accomplished by immersion of the egg just suflicient to moisten it, and by spraying the egg with the remover while the egg is still wet.

Although it is preferable to use petroleum ether, other compounds having similar propis apt toremain; but this can be overcome by mixin a deodorant with the remover, or by applying'a deodorant in an other way. on petroleum ether is'used, owever, the

remover'evapora-tesor dries so rapidly that no into the egg, and it is unnecessary to use such a deodorant.

In ordinary cases, the shine can be removed when using the liquid as specified without the aid of heat. Some eggs however, are processed or preserved by the use of an oil preservative in which some IOSlIl, resin, gum, parafiine, wax, or the like is dissolved; and this causes the coating of oil to adhere more firmly to the egg shell. Under such circumstances, it is advisable to warm the remover slightly while treating the eggs with it. Comparatively low temperatures are desirable in order that the keeping qualities be not impaired.

This treatment of the eggs as described can be accomplished immediately after the eggs are processed and before the oil thereon has an opportunity of hardening; or else the treatment is accomplished at any other future time, such as when they are removed from storage to be sold. Under either circumstance, the shell exterior is subjected to a remover that is a germ destroying medium, since I have found that such liquids as petroleum ether or parafiine ether have this desirable properties.

It is especially to be noted that by the aid of in treatment described, the egg exterior is Is t in a natural state; nothing is added or subtracted. I am aware that eggs have heretofore been subjected to sand blasts to remove the shine; but this treatment reduces the shell thickness, and this in turn impairs the keeping qualities. Washing or whitewashing the eg s to deaden the shiny surface,'is also injurious, for then the eggs must be subjected to water and temperature, both acting adversely on the egg. Powdering to secure the same results, does not remove the oil, but merely covers it up, and the powder can easily be detected. As distinguished from such rior processes, my treatment removes the o jectionable oil coating without harming the shell, thereby imparting natural. appearance and feel to it. Furthermore a sterilization of the egg exterior is simultaneusly effected. At, the same time, the oil solvent while it removes the shine, need not necessarily disturb the oil in the shell pores, so that the egg still retains to a large extent, its keeping qualities. This is due to the fact that the length of treatment is just suflicient toremove the shine. In fact, since this operation is usually ac complished after the eggs are taken from storage, they no longerneed to have extraordinarily long keeping qualities, for they are kept only long enough for marketing.

Thus fai I have concerned myself only with the treating of eggs which have already been processed by the use of an oil preservative. -However, it can equally well be used simultaneously with the oil treatment. For Um purpose, I have evolved a new compound for treating fresh eggs, which not only imparts the usual keeping qualities thereto, but also leaves no shine. This I aecomplish by adding a small portion of oil (mineral, vegetable or animal or a mixture thereof, as desired), with petroleum ether or its equivalent. The proportion is of the order of one part of oil to ten, thirty, forty, or even one hundred parts of the petroleum ether; the proportions being limited only by .tance.

The use of such a compound as a preservative obviates a further serious objection to the use of the oils now commonly done. When the eggs are treated with oil, they are often placed on theflats and in the egg crate fillers while the oil on the shell isstill damp. This stains the fillers and the flats, and they can therefore be used but once. One way of obviating this is by drying the eggs carefully, but this is expensive. With. the new preservative as described, the moisture evaporates so quickly that there is no danger of spotting thefillers or flats when placing the eggs in the crates. This is due to the highly volatile nature of the preservative.

The physical manipulation of the eggs with this new preservative may be entirely similar to that used in connection with the other forms. For example, the preservative may be applied by dipping or immersing the eggs for a few seconds in a tank to which heat is applied; or alternately, a spray of the heated preservative is used. Although it is now common in this art to preserve eggs by using temperatures varying from normal to about 260 F.. I find that with my process a comparatively cool solution serves the purpose well. This I attribute to the germicidal qualities of the preservative used, which together with the oil content serving as a carrier or adherent for the volatile substance. checks effectively and for a long interval. any tendency for the egg to spoil.

Vhen using the described process either for removing the shine or for preserving. it is possible to add a small proprn'tior ot some chalky powder, such as finely divided mugnesia, to the liquid. The finely divided material is deposited on the egg and a whiter or (leader color is secured. which is highly desirable. The proportion of powder however should be so slight as to escape do .tection; is of course also possible to :use a v small-proportion of resin, wax, parafiine or the like in the preserving-process.

I'claimz i 1. The processitrea ing' shiny and oilyshell; which comprises treat ing the shell with'a -liq'liid. compound that is and odor tothe egg -,content..-- 5 i 2. The processof preserving eggs which comprises ap lyingtothem a" compound of v petroleum et er, oil.

3. The process of; treating eggshaving an oily and shiny shell, which comprises'trea. t= ing the shell with a warm liquid including a and a small proportion of "to be deposited on flats and in comprises a plying tothem a preservative .hquld that eaves no stain when it dries.

volatilepsolvent of such character that it is incapable of imparting taste "and odor to the gg content 1 4; The process offpres'erying'e gs that are to befidepositedon flatsfand infi 1ers,-which' comprises applying [to theme heated vo1aitilen-or quic both an .oil solyent}and ;vo'latile,;for remo'v -f i'ng the shine, .and 'is incapable of penetrat ing the egg shell and; tissfuel'tog ive taste rying liquidthat leaves no iii . ;5.' The process ofpreserving '6. A compound including a volatile -.solvent that will spread a sealing substance freely and leave no odor ortaste in the egg.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

Y MORRIS KASSER.

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